Reports
Reports
Industry Reports & Studies
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Beyond Boom and Bust: Putting Clean Tech On a Path To Subsidy Independence (April 2012)
In the absence of significant and timely energy policy reform, the recent boom in US clean tech sectors could falter.
This Brookings Institution report takes stock of the coming changes to federal clean tech subsidies and programs and charts a course of policy reform that can advance the US clean tech industry beyond today’s cycle of boom and bust. -
Analysis of the Economic Impacts of Renewable Energy Projects Supported by the 1603 Treasury Grant (April 2012)
This analysis by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) provides estimates of the direct and indirect jobs and economic impacts of projects supported by the 1603 Treasury grant program. The analysis employs the Jobs and Economic Development Impacts (JEDI) models to estimate the gross jobs, earnings, and economic output supported by the construction and operation of the large wind (greater than 1 MW) and solar photovoltaic (PV) projects funded by the 1603 grant program.
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The return - and returns - of tax equity for US renewable projects (November 2011)
The Bloomberg New Energy Finance report summarizes the outlook for U.S. based renewable energy financing in 2012. The report provides a comparative analysis of various renewable energy investments and their respective tax credit structure. In the course of highlighting how, much like in the pre-1603 environment, tax credits were the key economic driver in support of renewable energy investments; Bloomberg New Energy Finance depicts the growth of the renewable energy sector as closely linked with the availability of tax equity investment.
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National Solar Jobs Census 2011 (October 2011)
The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census establishes a credible solar jobs baseline and is designed to inform policymakers and employers about the substantial, positive impact the solar industry has on the U.S. economy. U.S. solar companies added jobs over the last 12 months at a pace much faster than the general economy and remain highly optimistic regarding their overall revenue growth in the near term. As of August 2011, the U.S. solar industry employs an estimated 100,237 solar workers 6.8% since August 2010.
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Company & Industry News (October 2011)
Prices of solar panels are approaching $1/Watt, further strengthening the solar industry in the United States. The solar sector remains robust, growing at a 166% rate through 2011, increasing employment by 6.8%, sector wide. By 2013, the US could have 200 GW of installed solar capacity.
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Hoping for Lower Electricity Rates? You May Want to Reconsider Solar (June 2011)
While it is difficult to estimate the exact trajectory that future electricity prices will take, it is quite certain that the long term trend is of rising costs, as fossil fuel energy resources continue to shrink and become more expensive. As an infinite fuel source and by avoiding the simultaneously rising costs of centralized electricity plant construction, distributed solar energy is one of the few sure ways to hedge against future rate increases.
